required no great skill in the drawing, nor embellishment in the colouring. Nor was it difficult to fhew how inadequate their prefent half-pay was, either to the fupport ing of the high acquired rank, which they held in virtue of their commiffions, or of their private, merely as gentlemen.

It was alfo fhewn in behalf of the petition, that from the reign of Queen Elizabeth, to the year 1715, when they were placed upon the prefent establishment, the naval captains had been always highly rewarded, either by profitable employments, by particular gratifications, or by an half-pay, double to what they now receive, when out of commiffion; though the prices of all the neceffaries of life, and expences of every fort, have fince increafed in an amazing degree, and that their rank is now much higher than it was in that period. It was concluded, that the petition should not fo much be confidered a request, as a juft claim upon the public.

Though nothing could be more unpopular in this country, where all people are attached to the navy, than an oppofition to this petition, and that the officers of that department, are in themselves a confiderable, as well as refpectable body; yet, however it happened, the minifter fet his face entirely against it, and though he acknowledged the merit of the petitioners, and granted their having a claim on the public for favour and fupport, oppofed it upon the principle of a due attention to the prefent fituation of our finances, and to the inability of the state to increase its expences; he obferved, that the admiffion of this claim, would open

a door to others, in which, whether equally well founded, the relief would not appear lefs neccful; that the military have their claims as well as the navy; and the hipwrights, a very ferviceable and neceffary order of men, intended to apply for an increafe of wages; that there may be others in the fervice of government, whofe wants may be greater, though their merits were lefs, and whom it might be much wished to relieve in thefe times of diftrefs; but that as fuch general relief was abfolutely impracticable, the receiving of fome applications, and rejecting others, would be inconfiftent with that impartial juftice which the public owes to all thofe who have acted well in their feveral ftations in its fervice, and whom it would bé impoffible to provide for according to their rank and merit.

On the other hand it was alledged, that the object of this economy in fo particular a cafe, wherein it fhould be lefs confidered than almost any other, would amount. only to about 6000 1. per annum. It was accordingly productive of much fevere animadverfion, not unmixed with ridicule: the large fums, which not long fince had been voted for virtu, and upon other occafions, which appeared of much lefs confequence, whether confidered with regard to the intereft, the juftice, or the generofity of the public, were immediately recalled, and thrown into every point of comparifon with the prefent requifition. It was faid to be truly laughable, after a ten years glorious peace, to hear from the firit authority, that the finances of a great and opule: nation were in fo wretched a flate, that he could not afford fo fmail a pittance,

pittance, for the relief of perfons to whom her power and glory was fo much indebted; while the French King, who was reprefented to be in the most ruinous circumftances, had fettled a provifion on his naval captains, which nearly doubled our half-pay. Several gentlemen produced inftances upon their own knowledge, of brave officers, whofe fervices in the late war had been known to every body, and who were now languishing with large families, or oppreffed with fickness, in a state of diftrefs that muft excite the moft melancholy reflections on being known.

To the furprife of many, probably to the furprife of the minifter himself, he was defefted by a number of thofe, on whofe firm fupport in all cafes, whether from office or connexion, he had caufe to rely. Upon a divifion, the petition was received by a Feb. 9th. majority of nine, the numbers being 154 to 145. A committee was accordingly appointed to examine the matter of the petition, and after the neceffary enquiries to make a report; in confequence of which, after fome additions propofed in the committee, which were rejected by the House, the original requeft was agreed to, and an addrels prefented to the throne, for an addition of two fhillings a day to the captains half

of this bill was exactly the fame as that of the preceding year; it was carried through all its stages in the one houfe by a great majority, and rejected in the fame manner by the other. The only remarkable circumftance that diftinguished the prefent, was its being oppofed by petitions from feveral congregations, who called themfelves Proteftant Diffenters, and who appear to have been principally compofed of the people who are generally known under the denomination of Methodists. The petitions were however March 25th. received, and they were heard by council at the bar of the House of Commons against pasfing the bill.

A motion was also made for a committee of the whole House, to confider of the subscription, to the 39 articles of the church of England, or any other tefts now required of perfons in the universities. We have feen laft year, a petition from certain of the clergy and others, for relief in the matter of fubfcription, with an account of the reception it met with in the House of Commons; though the mode was new changed, the tendency was nearly the fame, and the ground of argument not very different. The motion was, however, well fupported, and produced a very confiderable debate; but was at length rejected by a great majority, as the former had been, the numbers being 159 to 64. We lo fully difcuffed thefe fubjects when they firft originated, that a repetition now of them would be fu perfluous,

CHAP.

Petition was prefented from

A the Eaft-India Company,

fetting forth, that finding themfelves under a neceffity of applying to parliament for relief, they hoped they fhould be efteemed worthy of receiving it, in the manner, and upon the terms, fpecified in feveral propofitions, which were included therein. The principal of thefe, were a requifition for a loan of 1,500,000l. for four years, at four per cent. intereft, with liberty of repaying the fame, as foon as the Company was able, in payments of not less than 300,000l. and that the Company should not make a dividend of more than fix per cent. until the loan fhould be reduced to 750,000l. that then they might raile their dividend to eight per cent; and after the whole loan was discharged, that the furplus of the nett profits arifing in England, above the faid dividend, fhould be appropriated to the payment of the Company's bond debt, until it was reduced to 1,500,000l. and from thence, that the furplus profits should be equally divided be

tween the public and the Company. It was also requested, that the Company fhould be released from the heavy penal intereft incurred by the non-payment of money, owing in confequence of the late acts for the indemnity on teas, and difcharged from the annual payment of the 400,000l. to the public for the remainder of the five years specified in the agreement.

It was farther proposed on the fide of the Company, that the accounts of the Duannee revenues, of the charges of collection, of the civil and military expences of Bengal, together with the amount of the Company's fales, charges, debts owing, bills drawn upon them, and goods in their warehoufes, fhould be delivered annually to parliament; and it was defired, that leave might be given to export teas free of all duty, to America, and to foreign parts.

Some reports from the fecret committee had also been received at this time; and as defigns upon the Company's territorial poffeffions were apprehended to be in

con

contemplation, a gentleman, who had been chancellor of the Exchequer in a former administration, moved, that feveral papers, which had paffed between the English and French minifters, previous to the late peace, relative to the affairs of the India Companies of both nations, fhould be laid before the House. Thefe papers tended to thew, that fo far as the fentiments of the crown at the time of the peace, could be collected from thofe of its minifters, it was understood that the Eat-India Company had an exclufive and undoubted right to thofe territories it poffeffed, whether acquired by conqueft or otherwife. In one of them was read the following remarkable paffage: "Refpting thofe territorial acquifitions the English Eaft-India Company have made in Afia, every difpute relative thereto must be fettled by that Company itself, the crown of England having no right to interfere, in what is allowed to be the legal and exclusive property of a body corporate belonging to the English nation.”

tary affiftance. That a loan of a fum of money is neceffary to reinftate the Company's affairs. That a fupply of 1,400,000l. be granted to the Company. Provided at the fame time, due care shall be taken, that the neceflary regulations be adopted, to prevent the Company's experiencing the like exigencies in future.

The minifer upon this occafion, though he waved, for the present, any particular difcuffion of the point, not only called in queftion the Company's claim of exclufive right to its territorial poffeffions, but infifted upon a prior right in the ftate; from whence he interred the juftice and legality of its interpofing its authority in all cafes in that Company's affairs. He obferved, that this doctrine was not peculiar to himfelf; and that feveral perfons of great knowledge in the laws, had declared it as their opinion, that fuch territorial poffeflions as the fubjects of any ftate fhall acquire by conquest, are virtually the property of the ftate, and not of thofe individuals who acquire

Though this was a matter rather of converfation than debate, fuch an avowal from that quarter, was thought too dangerous to be paffed over without animadverfion. It was faid, that the relation which thofe opinions could have to the Company, depended folely upon the manner of flating the queftion; that in certain circumftances they were very juft, and were not to be contefled, when territorial poffetfions were acquired under the authority of the ftate; but that when the flate, (as in the prefent inftance) has in the moft folemn and authentic manner, delegated that

autho

authority to a diftinct and feparate body, it can never, without a breach of the conditions on which it was granted, be refumed, without the moft manifeft injuftice and Bagrant violation of public faith; that fuch doctrines were fubverfive of all true commercial principles; and were equally inconfiftent with the high rights of the royal prerogative, the faith and honour of parliament, and that right of confirmed property, which every man, and every body of men, have, or ought to have, in their legal acquifitions. It was further obferved, that the Company's poffeffions in India were not in ftrictness conquests; that they were farms held from the prince who was their proprietor and rightful owner; but that a question of property of that nature, was to be decided in a court of justice, and was not a proper fubject of difcuffion there, where the public, who were themfelves interested parties, would thereby become the judges in their own cause.

March 23d. the two following reIn fome time after, folutions were propofed by the minifter, and paffed without a divifion, "That fuppofing the public fhould advance the loan to the EaftIndia Company, it is the opinion of this committee, that the Company's dividend fhould be restrained to fix per cent, until the repayment of the fum advanced." And," that the Company be allowed to divide no more than seven per cent. until their bond debt be reduced to 1,500,000 1."

In the first ftating of these propofitions, the following words were added to the fecond; but were afterwards ftruck out, viz" and VOL. XVI.

no more than eight per cent. before the participation of profits between the public and the Company fhould take place."

As these restrictions were contrary to the terms propofed by the Company in its petition to the Houfe, they were productive of confiderable debates. They were fupported, on the undoubted right which every creditor had, previous to his parting with his money, to exact fuch conditions and stipulations from the borrower, as he thought neceffary for his own fecurity; and it was infifted, upon the foundation of the reports made by the fecret committee, of the state of the Company's affairs, that it could not with juftice to the pubfic, and a due attention to the welfare of the proprietary, afford to make a greater increase of dividend. It was hinted, that the Company had been guilty of an act of delinquency, by exceeding its legal powers in the amount of its bond debt; and it was intimated, that it probably would hereafter be thought neceffary, to agitate the question of Right, as to the territorial poffeffions in parliament. As a falvo, however, to the apprehenfions excited by thefe dangers, it was alfo thrown out, that when the propofed reduction, of the bond debt had taken place, and the loan was repayed to the public, the treafury might then, perhaps, contribute a moiety of its share of the participation, entirely to reestablish the affairs of the Company.

On the other hand, the reprefentations of the Company's affairs, that had been made by the fecret committee, were declared to be extremely erroneous; the injury [G]

that